Doctors and Drug Companies: A Collaborative Study

A unique study is underway into the relationship between the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry. Over 2000 medical specialists around Australia are being invited to complete a questionnaire describing their interactions with the pharmaceutical industry, and their views on how these relationships should be conducted.

The research is being conducted jointly by researchers at the University of Newcastle, the University of New South Wales and the pharmaceutical industry, and is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. The research is collaborative and has received extensive input from stakeholder groups including medical specialists, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and consumer organisations. It is the largest study of its type to be undertaken in Australia, and is being conducted in stages, including a collection of all promotional material received by a sample of medical specialists and surveys of the general public, doctors and pharmaceutical companies.

The relationships between the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry have always been controversial and in recent times have been the subject of increasing media attention. However, there is a lack of accurate information on the extent and nature of these interactions; the purpose of this study is to remedy this deficiency. The project leader, medical specialist and clinical academic at the University of Newcastle, Dr. Ian Kerridge, stated, "This is a vital study. The project team is multidisciplinary and the research is genuinely collaborative. We are making no judgements about the interactions between doctors and the pharmaceutical manufacturers. We wish to document the nature of these relationships so that new policies can be developed on the basis of accurate data rather than opinions. We encourage all doctors who are approached to fill in the survey instrument as accurately as possible".

Contact Details: Associate Professor Paul McNeill, UNSW, tel. 9385 2516 or 0418 677 870; Professor Graham Macdonald, Merck Sharp and Dohme, (Australia) Pty. Ltd., tel. 9795 9253.